John Gaddo

John Gaddo is co-publisher of Root River Current. His professional career has included stints as a public media manager, journalist and audio producer.

Author's Archive

Rural Renewal | Placemaking in Small Towns Through Good Design

Spring Grove receives development support from Citizen’s Institute on Rural Design.

Minnesota law requires that all slow-moving vehicles display a fluorescent orange-red triangular sign. This law was challenged on religious grounds by a group of Amish men in 1988 before the Minnesota Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that the Amish could use white bars on the back of their buggies instead of the “too worldly” triangular sign. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)

A Slow Moving Vehicle

Henry Hershberger, a 15-year-old Amish boy, was killed on a summer night in 2021 when his buggy was rear-ended by a pickup truck near Preston. Legal proceedings carried into 2023. This is what happened.

Surrounded by Norway Spruce, the Harvey Benson farm south of Harmony is typical of many farmsteads in southeast Minnesota. The farm has been in the family since the late 1800s. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)

Passing on the Farm

Julie Little reports on a Harmony landowner who struggled over what to do with his land when he passed on. He found the answer just a few miles away in a couple that shared his values.

Andrea Miehlisch, Katarina (Miehlisch) Amdahl, and Eric Miehlisch enjoying activities at the 40th annual Lanesboro Dinner Dance in 2022. (Photo by Barb Jeffers)

It Was a Wonderful Night for Dancing

For the past 40 years, Lanesboro has carried out a Christmas tradition called the “Adult Prom”. The tradition lives on.

Josh and Steph Dahl and their three children are pictured on their 450 acre farm south of Rushford. The Dahl’s operate a 160-cow dairy and are involved in the Root River Field to Stream Partnership to control runoff and soil erosion. (Photo by Ann Wessel, Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources--BWSR)

Root Causes, Root Solutions

A Houston County dairy farmer, working years with government agencies, invested in environmentally sound practices to control nutrient runoff and soil erosion. Everyone benefits.